Edward Boyd was an associate of The Rammer and part of a gang that terrorised the Monaro district of New South Wales in late 1834.
Boyd came from County Antrim, Ireland, and was a Tobacco Spinner by trade. He had been a shop-boy for a year when he was convicted on 11 April 1831 at Carrickfergus, County Antrim, of stealing from a cart. He was sentenced to transportation for seven years. He arrived in Sydney aboard the Bussorah Merchant on 14 December 1831.
He escaped from a station of Dr Sherwin, either the main station, "Yinibrothers", or one at the junction of the Maclaughlin and Snowy Rivers. He joined up with The Rammer and Joseph Keys. He was said to have a sword taken from Stewart Ryrie's station, "Coolringdon", suggesting that he participated in the gang's raid on that property.
On 14 December 1834, Boyd took part in a raid on Catterall's station at Rock Flat, 15 km south of Cooma. The Rammer was shot dead and Boyd was captured by the convict overseer, Charles Fisher Shepherd. He escaped, probably with the assistance of one of Shepherd's convicts and was then involved in the fight in which Shepherd was shot, beaten, then shot at close range and left for dead.
Boyd and the third member of the gang, Joseph Keys, then escaped. A party from the 2nd Division of the Mounted Police assisted by a local convict, William Coleman, pursued them. On 15 January 1835, the police party came up with Boyd and Keys camped by the Snowy River. At the trial of two of Shepherd's convicts as accomplices, a trooper testified:
George Smith - I am attached to the Mounted Police; I heard of Mr. Shepherd being shot; I was sent in pursuit of Joseph Keyes and Edward Boyd; I traced them to the Snowy River; on observing my approach they ran towards the river, and plunged into it to gain the other side; Keyes succeeded in crossing; I fired at the other who was swimming, and the ball took effect, as he made a plunge in the water; I saw nothing of him afterwards;
When he was shot, Boyd was only about 22 years old and had served more than half of his sentence.
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Further information from: Jack Smith
